UW amateur Cheng-Tsung Pan placing high at US Open — above Tiger Woods

Only two years removed from high school, UW’s Cheng-Tsung Pan is playing with the pros now — and how. As of Friday morning, he was beating Tiger Woods.

Cheng-Tsung Pan (Rob Carr/Getty Images)

You read that right.

After shooting only two over par in his first 18 holes, the Taiwan native is making his presence known at the U.S. Open Championship at the Merion Golf Club in Ardmore, Pa. As of publication time, Pan had surpassed the likes of Woods, Adam Scott and Matt Kuchar, and had tied Rory McIlroy, last season’s PGA Championship winner.

Pan, who is the sixth-ranked amateur in the world, started Thursday’s rain-interrupted round with a fury, birdying the first hole to rank atop the early leaderboard. After enduring a string of three-straight bogies, Pan bounced back to birdie two more holes on the back nine to finish tied for 25th place on the afternoon.

Only a few days removed from finishing his sophomore year at UW, there was no mistaking Pan’s collegiate affiliation on the course. The Taiwanese golf sensation sported a black Huskies cap, and a furry Huskies golf sock peered out of Pan’s golf bag all afternoon.

Pan wasn’t the only Husky on the course either, as his UW teammate Chris Williams also competed Thursday at the second of golf’s four major championships. Williams shot eight over par and was tied for 107th place.

This is Pan’s second trip to the U.S. Open, having also qualified in 2011. Pan has also played in five of the last six U.S. amateur championships.